Remember Me
by slayer7
Summary: BtVS/AtS crossover. Buffy loses her memory, and her friends (including Angel!)have a hard time dealing with it while they try to bring her memories back to her. B/A
1. The Vision

Title: Remember me?

Summary: This is not an "I Will Remember You" fic. Someone loses their memory, and the one who loves them most is having a hard time dealing.

Pairings: B/A of course. Hmm, well now that just gave it all away. I was going for the "oooh" suspenseful thing. Well now you know it's either Buffy or Angel who will lose their memory!  But I'm not going to tell you who! (Because secretly, I don't even know. Shh! Don't tell anyone!)

Rating: Shouldn't go over PG-13. But who knows? This chapter is G rated though.

Feedback: Yes please!

Distribution: Just tell me where it's going so I can show off to my friends.

Disclaimer: Characters and previous story lines are property of Joss and co. This fic is just wishful thinking.

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"Are you sure, Cordy?" Angel asked for the millionth time. "Absolutely positive?"

"Ugh," Cordelia sighed in frustration. "Of course I'm sure!"

Angel turned away and started to pace the room again. Fred looked on, worried about the state Angel was in, and the marks that would soon appear on the floor of the lobby if Angel kept pacing around like this.

"Umm," Fred started quietly. Cordelia looked over to Fred to show she was listening, while Angel kept pacing around the lobby. "Shouldn't we go and save this person in your vision before it's too late?"

Cordelia sighed again, and turned to Angel. "Fred's right, Angel."

Angel stopped, and looked up at his friends. "Hmm?"

"This person in Cordy's vision won't save themselves," Gunn told him. "And we better leave now if we wanna make it on time, because we might be too late."

Angel started pacing again. He stopped after a while and asked quietly, "I told her not to come to my city and fight my fights, what makes it any different if I go to her city and fight hers?"

"Umm, let's see," Cordelia rolled her eyes. "How about my vision?!"

"Yeah, Cordelia gets her visions for a reason Angel," Fred told him. "So _we _can help."

"How about we just give her a call then," Angel ignored Fred's words and walked over to the phone and dialled her number, while his friends sighed frustratingly yet again. After another minute, he put the receiver back on the hook, and looked up worriedly at his friends. "No answer," He quietly informed them.

"Well duh, Angel," Cordelia told him. "It's three in the morning."

"Oh," Angel turned back to the phone. "Hmm, how about I try again then?" He dialled her number again, and finally someone picked up on the other side.

"Mmm?" Someone said groggily. "I mean, hello?"

"Uhh," Angel was surprised to see that someone picked up. "Sorry to wake you up," He apologised.

"No problem," They said, more awake now. Angel could tell it was Dawn by her voice. "I'm awake now."

"Umm, is Buffy awake?" Angel asked, at first unsure of what to say.

"Oh my God... Angel?" Dawn was surprised to hear from him.

"Yeah, it's me Dawnie," Angel smiled at the thought that she recognised him.

"Wow," Dawn said. She was just so surprised, she had no idea what to say.

"Is Buffy there?" He asked again.

"Oh yeah," She remembered that he asked her that before. "I mean, no, she's not here yet."

"Out patrolling?"

"Yeah, there are some weird ugly demons attacking people and stuff."

"So, the usual?"

"Was that a joke, Angel?" Dawn chuckled. "You never stop with the surprises."

"I'm a funny guy," Angel told her, although it brought up painful memories of him and Buffy. But that relationship was over. He ended it when he left three years ago. It wasn't fair to her to think that something could happen between the two of them.

"So, what's up Angel? Why are you looking for Buffy at three in the morning?"

"Cordy had a vision," Angel explained, in a very, very short sentence. "So Buffy's busy?"

"Probably," Dawn replied. "I can't really say."

"Hmm," Angel furrowed his brow (not in the vampire "grr" way) and thought for a while, deciding what to do. He looked back at his friends and Cordy pointed to her watch, reminding him they might not have much time.

"I'm going over there with my friends," He told Dawn.

"What? You're coming here?"

"Yeah, Cordy had a vision, and it must mean that we're the only ones that can help this person," He explained. "Buffy's probably busy."

"Oh... okay," Dawn said, still surprised. "A-Are you going to stay long?"

"Until our help is no longer needed there," He replied. "See you soon, Dawnie. Be careful."

"Uhh, you too Angel. Bye." She hung up, and Angel did the same.

"So when do we leave?" Gunn asked Angel when he was finished talking.

"Pretty much now."

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I know, I know. Pretty lame. I'm sorry! Really! But it's just the intro. Hmm, I'll try and do some better writing in the next chapters. But how did you guys find this one? Is it worth going on, or should I quit while I still have my dignity? Please review! Even if you didn't really like it, tell me what I could change or whatever. Or tell me what you liked, and would like to see in future chapters. Big thanks to all who read this, and an even BIGGER thanks to all those who are going to review. Also, any suggestions on where this should go, what I should fix up?


	2. Returning

Angel sped down the highway, trying to keep his mind on the demons in Cordelia's vision. Anything to stop him thinking about Buffy. He was going back to Sunnydale, the place he left for her own good. He couldn't bring her anything but darkness, and he knew she deserved way more than that. And now, he's driving back; something he hasn't done in a long time. He's going to see Buffy again.

Angel cleared his throat and asked Cordelia, "What did these demons look like again?" He needed to remind himself why he was going back in the first place. 'The demons,' he thought in his head. 'Saving souls. Helping people. And Buffy. No wait, not that!' Angel stopped thinking when he realised that Cordelia was talking.

"Well they were big, and... and..." Cordelia tried to remember. "Ooh! Green, scaly, and horny... oh God, I did not just say that, did I?" Cordelia looked horrified and disgusted at the same time.

"'Fraid so, Cordy," Gunn smirked. Cordelia grunted and and sank in her seat.

"I'm going to need at least ten years of therapy to get these images out of my head."

Angel reached the Sunnydale exit, and started to become nervous. He felt her fimiliar presence as he drove into Sunnydale. He was kind of... looking forward to seeing her again. Now he was in Sunnydale again, he didn't know what to do. He thought it was pretty simple - go down to Sunnydale and kill these demons - but he just really wanted to see her again. But Angel shook off the thought and told himself he left her years ago to have a better life. To share the days in the sunlight with, as well as the moonlight.

And the last time he saw her, she was... different. They agreed to meet each other halfway between Sunnydale and L.A. She wasn't the same old Buffy he used to date. She had changed. For the better? He couldn't say. Everything was just a blur then. He couldn't believe she was back, especially after endless months grieving for her loss. But she could see a more mature Buffy. He noticed that much.

"Should we get some supernatural reinforcements?" Cordelia asked, snapping Angel out of his thoughts again.

"W-What?" Angel asked, giving her a shocked glance. "What do you mean?" He asked, although he had a pretty good idea what she meant.

"I'm talking Slayer with some weapons," Cordelia simply replied.

Angel tensed up, but managed to get a slight nod out. He was going to see her again. He drove throught the streets until he saw the sign the read 'Revello Drive'. Angel nervously put his indicator on and turned into her street. Buffy's street. He drove up to her house and turned into her driveway and turned off the ignition. He couldn't believe he was doing this. 

Cordelia, Fred and Gunn all made their way out of the car. Cordelia stopped when she realised that Angel wasn't moving. "Angel!" She called. Angel glanced at Cordelia before taking an unnecessary nervous breath. He got out of the car and walked up to the front door. He raised his fist up to the door amd knocked; he was the only one who noticed his hand was shaking.

Angel nervously waited for an answer. It felt like hours before somebody answered. "Ugh, what now?" Dawn asked grumpily as she opened the door. And her tired expression turned into shock as she realised who it was. "Angel!"

"Hey," Angel smoothly said, smiling politely at her. "Mind if we come in?"

"Uhh, no, not at all," Dawn blushed. "Sorry." She moved out of the way so Angel and his friends could enter.

Angel walked in to the hallway, his friends following closely behind. Dawn closed the door after the last of his friends entered. She led them into the loungeroom where they sat down on the couches.

Angel opened his mouth when Willow came down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. "Who's here, Dawnie? Was that Buffy?" She yawned. She came down the stairs and noticed some familiar faces sitting in the loungeroom. "Oh, Angel! Cordy! Fred! And Gunn!" Her eyes went wide with shock. "Hi," She greeted, confused. "Is everything okay? What are you guys doing here? Where's Wesley?"

"Cordy got a vision that involved demons here in Sunnydale," Angel explained. "So Buffy's not here yet?" He asked worriedly as he looked down at his watch. 4:30am. 'It doesn't take that long to patrol does it?' He pondered worriedly.

"No, she's not. But these demons are always putting up a fight. She always comes home around dawn, sore all over and stuff," Willow said. "So where's Wes?"

"Uhh, long story," Angel simply said, hiding the pain from his voice. "I'm going to go patrol, see if I can help Buffy out. Anyone coming?"

"I'm up for it," Gunn said.

"Me too," Dawn said, hopeful.

"Don't think so Dawn," Angel told her sympathetically. "Buffy would beat me into a pulp if I let you come with." Dawn pouted and gave her best pleading face to Angel. "It's not going to work on me, Dawn. Weapons?" He asked Dawn.

"Same place," She told him. "Help yourselves."

Angel nodded and led Gunn over to the chest of weapons. They took a few things and Angel turned to Cordelia and Fred before heading ou the door. "Maybe you guys could do some research while we're gone?" He asked. Cordelia and Fred nodded, and watched as Angel and Gunn disappeared out the front door.

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Okay, was that a better chapter? Please review my story! Oh, and if you have any suggestions on how I can fix this up, or where this story should go, please share them with me!


	3. Confusion

OK, thanks to Stella and kat for reviewing! It was very much appreciated! Well, this story is totally anti-B/S and A/C, but no character bashing. And I've decided that this story will be set after Spike left. But if you guys want, I can bring him back.

Oh and the * stand for flashbacks. There's only one here in this chapter.

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Chapter 3: Confusion

Gunn walked around one of the _many_ cemeteries that Sunnydale had to offer. "Woah," Gunn sighed in awe. "I never expected to see so many cemeteries just for a small town."

"Well, this place is situated right above the hellmouth," Angel told him.

"Hellmouth?" Gunn asked, slightly interested in what Angel was getting at.

"Don't worry," Angel sighed. "Vampires and demons are attracted to this place like moths are with a bright light."

"Really?" Gunn raised an eyebrow, getting more interested in this small town. "Why is that?"

Angel didn't answer him. He had his mind on something else. He could hear some odd sounds in the distance. He stayed as still as he could and listened intently. Angel looked like a stone statue as he stood there, not even needing to breath.

"Yo Angel!" Gunn said loudly, trying to catch his attention, thinking he was just lost in his own thoughts.

Angel glared at Gunn, and Gunn instantly quietened down.

"What is it?" Gunn whispered softly, that he could barely hear his own voice.

But Angel sure heard it with his vampire senses. "I can hear something over there," Angel replied pointing to his right. "Let's go check it out. Follow me, but _quietly_," Angel stressed on that last word, and stealthily moved over to the sound while Gunn followed. 

At first, the sound was faint and sounded like soft mumbles, but as Angel got closer, he could now tell that it was fighting. The sounds of punches, grunts, and other noises clued Angel in that there was a fight. At this point, Angel ran with his full vampire strength and stamina, leaving Gunn trailing a couple of hundred metres behind him.

Angel kept running. Then something hit him. A familiar feeling came over him, and settled in his stomach and his heart. The same feeling he got ages ago. A feeling he hadn't felt for ages. A feeling that he only got when he was with... Buffy. It was Buffy up ahead, and Angel felt it.

Angel didn't wait for Gunn. He was too determined to reach Buffy. Angel kept running at full speed towards Buffy. He hadn't seen Buffy in a long time, and part of him just really wanted to see her again, and another part was telling him that she was in trouble.

And that part was right. He finally reached Buffy, and she was up against a whole group of demons. She was able to hold them off, and defend herself. But the odds were around seven to one. They would easily defeat her in the end. And, Buffy didn't have any weapons. Angel quickly rushed to her side, with a battle-axe in his right hand and a sword in his left.

The feeling was unbelievable and deeply overwhelming. He could just feel her presence filling up the void in his heart that grew there when he left Sunnydale. Left her. It took all of his self-control to stop himself doing anything tempting. He just wanted to touch her, and feel her warmth so badly. Hold her in his arms. And call her his again.

_*_

_"Are you still my girl?"_

_"Always."_

_*_

Angel wondered if that statement was still true. Was she still his? He laughed angrily inside at the thought. He broke up with her. She saved his life, and he still left. Now that he thought about it, he never really thanked her for saving his life that night. She risked her life for his. And he still left her.

"_Angel_?" Buffy asked, extremely surprised, not really believing he was there. Buffy and Angel stood there for a while, just looking at each other. Both in shock at just seeing their ex-lover standing only a few inches away.. One of the demons's growled loudly as it lunged at the Slayer, knocking her to the ground.

"Buffy!" Angel shouted, and kicked the demon out of the way. Buffy quickly got up, and Angel held out a sword to her. "Here," He said. "Take this." Buffy nodded, too surprised to see him here, and took the sword out of his hand.

Gunn tried to catch up to Angel, but he was too quick with his vampire speed. And he didn't get tired either. He didn't slow down one bit. Gunn finally reached the small clearing where Angel was. He was in his game face, and using his full strength. He fought with extraordinary stregth and speed. Gunn's eyes then fell on someone else. She fought with just as much strength and speed as Angel had. Probably even better. She gracefully pulled off her kicks, and used the momentum of each blow to strike harder and with more power at the demons. She was especially skilled with the sword too, controlling it as if it were a part of her own body. 'Must be the Slayer Angel was so nervous to meet again,'Gunn thought. Angel and Buffy pretty much got these demons covered, so Gunn just stood close by, ready to jump in if they needed the help.

But the Slayer and the vampire worked together as a team to efficiently kill the demons. All except for one. He was different to the other demons. He wore a long, black cloak, and they all noticed that he didn't join in with the fight. The demon used its long, and incredibly thin green fingers to remove its hood, revealing a really ugly face covered in scales.

The demon hissed. "You," It pointed at Angel. Its voice was deep and very rough. "The energy. It's powerful." But then it hissed angrily, "Vampire!" It moved away from Angel and eyed Gunn. It swiftly glided around Gunn, as if he were inspecting him.

"Listen, I've had a long night, and I don't want to play games. Can we fight now?" Buffy said, annoyed and slightly angry.

The demon turned its head quickly to Buffy. And a smile appeared on its lips. "The power is strong in you too. You have two sets, like the vampire. But you're missing one day. It doesn't exist in you. But I know about it."

"Angel," Gunn called. "Do you reckon this is the demon in Cordy's vision?"

"It's green and scaly," Angel checked off the descriptions Cordelia had given them. "And, well, check out those horns."

"What is it?" Buffy asked in a slightly disgusted tone.

"Not sure," Angel replied. "But according to Cordy's vision, it's dangerous. So I say we kill it."

"Good plan," Buffy agreed and raised her sword. Angel and Gunn got their weapons ready too. But before they could strike, the demon vanished. One second it was there, the next, it was... gone.

Angel growled but his vampire senses told him that dawn was soon approaching. "We better get back to you're house, Buffy. The sun's about to rise soon."

"Where am I?" Gunn asked, suddenly confused.

"Oh my God," Buffy gasped, looking at Angel, bewildered. "_Angel_?"

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Hmm, I hope the ending for this chapter made sense. Anyways, If it doesn't, just tell me. Please review. And I will listen to your suggestions and hopefully put them in.


	4. Tough Questions

thanks Shellie and stevie for reviewing! and thanks Shellie for telling me some ways on how this story could be improved!!

mwahahaha! I confused the lot of you! but don't worry... explanation here in this chapter! read on!

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Chapter Four: Tough Questions

The back door of the Summers' house flew open without warning, and Angel rushed inside, smoking a little from the sun. Dawn, Willow, Cordelia and Fred all looked up with shock at the vampire. The had all been spending the night researching on the net and through the many books Giles had left here in Sunnydale.

"Angel," Willow sighed in relief when realising who it was. "Where's Gunn?"

"He's coming," Angel replied, a worried look was planted on his face. "I had to run home due to a little sun factor. Did you guys find anything about these demons?"

"Nope, not yet," Fred answered. "Well, not from research, anyways. Dawn, Willow, and her friends have all been up against this demon before."

"Even Buffy?" Angel asked Willow.

"I-I don't know," Willow shrugged. "I don't-"

"Remember," Angel finished.

"Yeah," Willow nodded. "How did you know?"

"Same thing happened to Buffy and Gunn tonight. They don't recall anything about a fight. So, did you remember everything, Dawn?" Angel turned to Buffy's teenage sister. Dawn just nodded quietly. "What happened?" Angel then asked her.

"Umm, it was weird," Dawn replied. "There were a whole bunch of demons. And this really ugly demon in the middle seemed interested in us... like it kind of smiled at us, in an uber creepy sort of way. Then it did this weird glowy thing. Buffy started fighting the demons, who seemed to be protecting the one in the middle. And after she killed a couple of the demons, they all just ran away. And then the ugly demon just... vanished. And then everyone became confused about where they were, and what they were doing there."

"Hmm," Angel mused.

"We were thinking it might have been a spell," Fred told him.

"But then why wasn't Dawn or Angel affected?" Willow asked.

"Must be some kind of vampire slash key thing where we don't get affected," Dawn shrugged.

"Key?" Gunn asked, still extremely confused. Life on the hellmouth was more weirder than L.A., which Gunn didn't think was possible.

"Long story," Dawn sighed.

"The key opens up the portals to other worlds," Willow explained. "The key is in the form of Dawnie here."

"Okay, not so long then," Dawn said.

"Oh, and I thought she was a normal teenager," Gunn said. "Are there *any* normal people living in Sunnydale?"

"Present," Xander appeared at the kitchen doorway. Willow woke him up and called him over to help out with the research. "I'm as normal as people get in Sunnydale."

"Normal?" Cordelia cocked an eyebrow at Xander. "You got together with a praying mantis demon as well as an Inca mummy girl _and _an ex-vengeance demon."

"Ah, Cordy. I said _I _was normal, not the people I once dated," Xander hinted to Cordelia and smiled.

Cordelia scowled, and quickly went back to her research.

"I don't think it was a spell," Angel told everyone in the room. "I'm thinking the demon did this. Try looking for demons that collect memories. The demon said something about me and Buffy being powerful. But it couldn't take my 'energy' for some reason. I'm thinking that he calls memories, 'energy'. We all have two sets of memories, because of Dawn being the key. But I'm a vampire, and my thoughts and memories can't be reflected in some other person's mind, or in this case, be taken away from me." Angel purposely left out the part about him having the memory of one extra day.

"And he didn't take my memory because he looked at me as useless, because I only have one set of _fake_ memories," Dawn said, and pouted.

"Fake memories or not, Dawnie," Willow sympathised. "I still like them. They were fun. Remember that time when we went trick-or-treating when you were seven, and that mean old Mrs. Stiller-" Willow stopped when Dawn gave her a deadly stare, telling her not to go on. "Anyways, that doesn't really matter. W-We should really get back to researching. It's helpful, and non-embarresing." Willow blushed as she sat behind her laptop.

* * *

Buffy watched as Angel ran home. She offered to go with him, but she needed to bring Gunn back, as he didn't know the way, and could never keep up with the supernatural speed of a vampire and a Slayer.

Buffy was still really shocked to see him here, and also, incredibly confused. She started the night fighting demons, and the next minute she finds Angel and his friend standing with her in the cemetery. And the demons were gone. Angel said he would explain everything when they got to her house, so she thought the quicker the better, and she picked up the pace a bit.

Buffy had just met Gunn, but he seemed to know about her. So Buffy just assumed they sometimes mentioned her.

"You seem... smaller than I'd thought you'd be," Gunn told her. "I mean, Wesley told me you were heaps strong, and defeated heaps of big bads, and... well, you're really small."

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Buffy had no idea what to say, and just said the first thing that came to her head. "So umm, how is Wesley?" She asked after a minute of uncomfortable silence. They were both nervous, and didn't know what to say.

"He's... I don't know," Gunn shrugged, and struggled to find the right words. "Something happened. Maybe Angel should fill you in with this story. So, you liking your new life? Well, your old life... I mean, life after death..." Gunn trailed off, giving up trying to make his question making sense. He just needed to change the subject, and to him, it seemed like an easy question. He'd definitely rather life over death, even though he hadn't experienced it. But it was something he hoped he wouldn't experience for a LONG time.

"It's..." Buffy struggled. "It's life." Buffy didn't feel like telling someone she just met that it was tough, and hard, and painful. That she wanted to go back to wherever she was. Where it was peaceful, and nice, and warm. Here seemed like Hell compared to that place. 'Heaven?' Buffy shrugged at the thought. It seemed like it to her. It seemed like the perfect place. And her friends just pulled her out. She knew should be grateful, but she wasn't.

"Things not going well here?" Gunn asked, concerned about why she wouldn't be loving life. He thought it was a million times better than the other option. Death. It seemed so cold and dark for him. But then again, she's experienced with this sort of stuff. Apparently, she has already died twice.

"You could say that," Buffy simply replied. Gunn stopped prodding her with questions, feeling he's already asked too much personal questions already. And he just met her five minutes ago. Well at least he thought so. In his mind, it felt like there was stuff missing.

Just then, out of nowhere, a cloaked figure appeared in front of Buffy and Gunn. Buffy immediately stopped, and raised the sword she still held in her hand('Why the hell is there a sword in my hand?').

The cloaked figure let out a soft, creepy laugh. And in its deep, croaky voice it said to them, "The vampire is not here to help you. I shall take your energy now, Slayer."

The cloaked figure then removed its hood, uncovering its incredibly ugly face.

"I think this is the demon in Cordy's vision," Gunn told Buffy.

Buffy nodded, "It won't be after I kill it." She lunged at the demon with her sword, but it quickly disappeared into thin air. "What the-"

"Behind you!" Gunn yelled. And Buffy quickly spun around with her sword, but once again, it vanished. "Watch out, Buffy. It started glowing. It must be up to something."

Buffy nodded. She stayed quiet, and very still. Gunn did the same, assuming her plan was to sense it when it appeared again. Buffy clutched onto her sword tighter, and waited silently for the demon to make its move.

After a couple of minutes, it suddenly appeared again directly behind Gunn. Buffy sensed it, but she was too far away. She heard and felt a disturbance in the atmosphere over there. And she whirled around to see that Gunn's reflexes were too slow. The demon picked him up and threw him with incredible strength into a nearby brick wall. Gunn was out cold.

So it was just Buffy and the demon. No back up, nothing. Except for her sword. And Buffy hoped that it would be enough.

"You have no one now, Slayer," It croaked. "You're all alone. And you can't stop me."

Buffy was about to lunge at it again with her sword, but she couldn't move. It was like someone was holding her down. "What are you doing to me? Let me go!" Buffy screamed.

The demon just laughed. "You expect me to just let you go because you asked?"

"Not really, but it was worth a try," Buffy replied through gritted teeth. She hated feeling like this. Like she was helpless. Buffy wouldn't give up though. No matter what. She kept struggling to get free, hoping that the restraints would weaken a little.

"Now Slayer, your energy is mine!"

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Okay, I didn't get a chance to check over this, so maybe there are some mistakes or it's just plain crap, and confusing. But I really wanted to get something up tonight, to explain a few things. So please review! And any mistakes or improvements, I will do soon.


	5. Pain

Thanks to Vampire Mistress for the review. Okay, here's the next chapter. Please review it!!

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Chapter Five: Pain

A feeling of dread came over Angel quickly and landed right in his gut. It felt like someone just punched him right in the stomach. And hard.

"Something's wrong," Angel announced worriedly.

"Huh?" Dawn asked. "How do you know?"

"I can just feel it," Angel replied. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He just needed to go and help her. But the daytime didn't help him one bit. He shook his head. "Cordy, can you go with Xander and see what happened to them?"

"No problem," Cordelia replied, seeing the deep concern on Angel's face.

Xander cocked an eyebrow at Angel. "Your making *the* Cordelia Chase go out there where there might be dangerous demons?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Angel taught me how to fight. I've changed over these last three years since high school. Grown more mature. Unlike *some* people."

"Cordelia," Angel warned with a deadly glance. "I'm serious," He told both Cordelia and Xander. "Buffy's in trouble."

"Okay, okay," Cordelia got up from her seat. "I'm going."

"I left them both on Crawford Street," Angel told them. "Work your way backwards from here to there."

Cordelia nodded, and left the room with Xander to get some weapons before heading out of the Summers house.

After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence, Dawn sighed. "Come on, if Cordelia's allowed to fight, how come I'm not?"

"Because you're too young," Willow said.

"I'm sixteen!" Dawn argued. "The same age Buffy was when she was called."

"Buffy just doesn't want anything to happen to you, Dawn," Angel told her sympathetically. "You're the only real family she has left... well, not including your father, and she wouldn't be able to stand it if she lost you."

"What about me? I deal with seeing my older sister leave each night to battle demons of the dark, never knowing if she'll come back again!" Dawn said, tears starting to show up in her eyes. "And I just hate feeling so helpless and weak. Just watching Buffy fight, not able to do anything to help her except research."

"Buffy has supernatural powers," Angel reminded her. "She can hold her own."

"Research is important," Willow said, trying to make Dawn feel better. "Without it, we wouldn't know what we're dealing with, and how to defeat it. It's just as important as the actual fighting, Dawnie."

"But I want to do more!" Dawn cried. "Can you teach me how to fight, Angel?"

"Like how I taught Cordelia...?" Angel asked. Dawn just nodded, and tried to hold back her tears. She closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Angel looked to Willow to see what he should say. But Willow just simply shrugged. "Umm, sure... of course. After we do the research thing. Should we call Giles over?" Angel asked Willow, party trying to avoid the subject.

"If you want to pay for the plane ticket from England to California," Willow said.

Angel looked at Willow for a second, totally confused. But then, realisation hit him. "Giles... left? Why?"

Willow shrugged. "Felt like he was just getting in the way of Buffy's growing up. Like she needed to learn to do things on her own."

Angel didn't say anything. He was just quietly thinking to himself. Giles left. Another reason why Buffy didn't want Dawn involved. Giles was like a father to Buffy, but now, he's gone. He left her. Like Angel had once done too. Buffy must be thinking that everyone she loves will leave her eventually. Thank God Willow and Xander are still here for her.

"But we could give him a call, and see if he knows anything?" Willow told Angel.

"That would be good," Angel said. "Having a former-watcher on this case could make the researching easier."

"What about Wesley?" Willow asked.

Angel gave her a deadly stare, full of anger and pain. "What about him?" He growled at her in a bitter tone. "Uh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap," Angel apologised, an expression of remorse on his face.

"No, it's okay. Is everything okay?" Willow asked, more concerned about him. It wasn't like Angel to just explode like that. Wesley must of done something *really* wrong.

Angel didn't say anything. He didn't want to lie to them, but he didn't want to tell them what happened. Not before he told Buffy, anyways.

* * *

"Buffy!"

Xander called out to her as he ran with all the speed he could. Buffy was just standing there, the pain painted all over her face. She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. Buffy just had to deal with it. It felt like somebody was screwing a metal spike inside her head. Slowly. She didn't even notice Xander and Cordelia running towards her.

Buffy gritted her teeth and willed for the pain to stop. She closed her eyes and tried to seek for any strength left in her. She just had to deal with the pain. Wait until it was over. But until then, she wasn't going to give this demon the satisfaction of seeing her suffer. She wouldn't scream. No way.

She promised herself before that she wouldn't let *any* demon hear her scream.

*

Spike looked at her up and down, and moved closer. Too close for her liking. He was barely an inch away from her. He roughly whispered into her ear, "I'm going to make you scream, Slayer. Cry out my name. I'll make you scream."

*

Buffy whipped open her eyes, trying to escape those thoughts. The hooded demon smirked at Buffy. "Hurts doesn't it? Enough to make you *scream*!" It threw its head back and let out a laugh.

Buffy just glared at the demon, too afraid that if she opened her mouth she would let out a scream.

"You know," The demon let out a sigh. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight since you are the Slayer and all. But then again, you did *come back wrong!* That's what made you so afraid, isn't it? That the person your sister and all your friends brought back isn't the same person."

Buffy shook her head and just kept glaring at the demon, hoping that looks really could kill.

"Of course not," The demon smirked at her. "You're too upset from being torn out of 'heaven' to go to this place. Been too busy thinking of yourself to think and care about other people. You used a friend who loved you to make you feel, and neglected your sister who turned into a klepto. And your best friend became addicted to magic."

Buffy had to say something. He could go on forever. She opened her mouth slightly and mumbled, "I couldn't stop those things from happening."

"Really?" The demon cocked an eyebrow. "Believe what you want, but I'm just telling you what I see," It simply told her. "And what you will lose eventually," It added with a smirk.

Buffy couldn't think anymore. The pain was getting to an unbearable point. She closed her eyes, and bit onto her bottom lip. She bit too hard. The taste of blood filled her mouth. It was all she could taste. The pain didn't slow down, or go away. It just kept on growing. Buffy couldn't hold it in anymore.

She screamed out in pain.

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How's this? Need more explaining? If you're still confused about some things that I might have missed out on, just tell me. I'll explain it in the next part, hopefully. Please review. Even if it's crap, just tell me what needs fixing up on. Thanks!


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